Finding Home
by Soccer-Bitch
Summary: Being the daughter of a dark queen, Ella leaves home without a word. But as her mother sends out guards to find her, Ella must do what needs to be done to survive, even if it means learning to trust a man she has never met before. Jefferson/OC


_**A/N: I have been toying with this story idea for sometime now and I'm liking the way it turned out. I might be convinced to make it into a longer story and what not. But for now it will just be a one-shot. Chances are if it is well recieved I will use this as an intro to a story, but that will all depend on if you guys like it! And I really hope that you do. **_

_**A/N2: I don't own anyone from Once Upon A Time. I only own my characters.**_

_**A/N3: Please enjoy! And feedback is always welcome!**_

* * *

Death was final. There was no coming back from it. Many people feared death, but not Ella. She believed there were worse things than death. One of her fears was being caught by her mother's guards. Ella didn't like being recognized as Maleficent's daughter, it wasn't how she wanted to be remembered when death came for her. If she was honest with herself, she didn't care to be remembered in the tales that would come. All she wanted was to be able to say she loved and had that love returned. But that was not going to happen if she wasn't careful.

Holding the skirt of her dress so she could run faster, Ella did just that. It didn't matter how tired she was, she wasn't going back to her mother. It took her years to finally get the courage to leave that place and she wasn't going back. At least not willingly.

Slowing down, she looked around and noticed that she didn't know where she was. But that was when she felt it. Pain, excruciating pain coming from her thigh. The castle guards were closer than she had thought. Forcing herself to keep running, she moved between the trees and that was when she came across a man with a young girl. She knew from past experiences that the guards would not leave them unharmed. Ella knew what she had to do. Turning on her heel, she set down the bag she had been carrying.

It didn't take long before the ten guards had her surrounded. Swords were raised at her and she just shook her head at them. "So tell me who sent you to take me back to my mother? Was it her or was it Regina?"

"Queen Regina wishes to return you to your rightful place with your mother."

"That is very kind of you," Ella said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "But I am afraid that you will have to go back empty handed because I won't be returning to my prison. Because if I do the chances are I won't survive it for very long."

"That isn't my fault, Princess."

Shaking her head at him, Ella glanced over to where the man stood in front of his daughter protectively. She wished her own mother had been like that with her, to love her so much that she would protect her from whatever possible danger there might have been. But that wasn't the way her mother was. Taking a deep breath, she knew she had to get the innocent family out of there alive.

"I will give you one chance to walk away with your lives in tact."

The laughter of the guards was something she knew would happen. It happened every time that she tried to let them go before they were going to attack her so that they could get the reward from one of the queens for bringing her back alive. Only none of them would get a reward since she had been hurt by this group of guards. With an injury she knew she would have to go into hiding again.

"You are in no position to be granting such a thing," he laughed. "The gold we will get for returning you is more than you can dream of."

"Only you won't be getting it," Ella smiled at him as she picked up her bag and limped over to position herself in front of the man and the little girl. Tossing her bag down on the ground once again, she looked at him. "It will be getting windy real soon. There will be a shield covering you, so relax, nothing will happen to either of you."

"Are you really a Princess?"

Smiling, she nodded her head at the girl. "Since the day I was born."

"Tell me gentlemen, were you already partially paid?"

When the guards said nothing, Ella shook her head at them. That gave her the answer that she wanted to hear. Concentrating, she dropped to her knees knowing the amount of power she would have to use would most likely drain a good amount of her energy and with the leg wound was not going to help matters.

Lifting her arms, Ella watched as the guards went on the defense. They watched as their money bags were ripped off their belts and flew into her hands. "Thank you so much for your co-operation."

"That's stealing."

"It is the money that is being paid for my return," Ella reminded them as she grabbed her bag and placed the coin purses into her bag. "But since you aren't going to be returning with me, I'm just going to take the money so you don't have to give it back to your queen."

Closing her eyes, Ella released a breath as a wind started moving the fallen leaves off the forest floor and shaking the branches of the trees.

"No one said you had magic!"

Smiling, she hoped that shield she had over the innocent bystanders would hold against the gust of wind that was about to come roaring in. "Next time, pick on someone your own size."

Thrusting her hands forward, Ella watched as all of the guards went flying backwards. She kept her hands in the air to make sure that they would have no chance of running back towards her or the two innocent people behind her. Seeing the black spots in her vision, she knew that she was getting closer to passing out in the leaves on the ground, but she knew that she had to give the little family behind her a chance to get away from the guards. With one last surge of power, Ella fell face down into the leaves and remembered nothing afterwards.

* * *

Slowly opening her eyes, Ella was thankful that there was no harsh light streaming into her face. Looking around, she couldn't help but notice how homey this room was. Seeing that she was laying in someone's bed, she tossed off the covers and slowly swung her legs over the side. When she didn't become lightheaded, she rose from the bed with only a slight stumble from the pain coming from her thigh. Hearing raised voices, she made her way in that direction, but making sure she stayed in the shadows.

Peering into what looked like a dinning area, Ella saw the man that had been in the forest when the guards had caught up to her. She was thankful to him because this had to be his home and he was yelling at a man with light blonde hair. Holding back her grin, she walked out of the shadows.

"With the way you are yelling, it surprises me that Snow would give you the name of Charming."

Both men snapped their heads to the voice of the woman who had been asleep in the room not long ago. Prince Charming looked relieved as he scooped her up into his arms and hugged her to him. Once her feet were planted back on the ground, Ella looked at the man who had taken her in and given her shelter in her time of need.

"You didn't have to help me," Ella said as she slowly walked over to him. "And I don't know what I can ever do to repay you for what you have done, but thank you."

"You protected my daughter and myself from the guards and the effects of the magic you were using against them."

Smiling shyly, she nodded her head before turning to Prince Charming with confusion written upon her face. "Why are you here? How did you know where I was?"

"You missed checking in with Snow and Red," he told her. "They got worried and so Red sniffed you out and it brought us here. Although he wouldn't let any of us actually see you."

"Was I supposed to know if you were her friend or foe?" the man asked, as if it were so obvious.

"Thank you," Ella told him. "Did you manage to grab my bag?"

Nodding his head, the man walked over to where he had stashed the bag that his daughter had carried for him while he carried her back to their home. Once he had it, he pointed to the chair at the table. Ella knew that she shouldn't be on her feet for too long, other wise she might just end up back in that bed that she had spent who knows how long in. Walking to the chair, she sat down without a complaint and he handed her the bag. Opening the bag, she saw that the coin purses were still there. Pushing them aside, she grabbed the two items that she wanted to pass along.

"Is that-"

"The crown that was meant for Snow White. I might have snuck into Regina's palace while she was away. Fairy dust comes in handy against the guards there."

"She didn't-"

"Snow would never ask for it," Ella said smiling. "But it is very similar to her mother's. Snow deserves to have her crown."

"We don't know how to thank you," Charming told her. "You risked a lot for this."

"Some things are worth the risk," Ella said as she handed him a magic wand. "You need to get this to Blue. She'll know what it is and what to do."

"You should come with me," Charming told her. "Snow will wish to see you."

"Tell her not now. I need to go into hiding for a little while."

"Why?" Charming questioned her with worry lacing his voice.

"My mother got too close," Ella told him. "I won't make the same mistake twice. Go back to Snow and tell her I'm alright and when I think that it will be safe I will send word."

"Make sure you know who you can trust."

Without saying another word, Charming left the home of the man that had saved her life by taking her in. Digging out the coin purses, she set them upon the table. "That is for you and not just because you took me in. I had planned to give it to you anyways."

"Why?"

Ella shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't mean to have the guards spot you and I also didn't want to use magic to get rid of them. That can get to be dangerous especially with who my mother is."

"We all know who your mother is Princess Ella."

Stiffening her shoulders, Ella looked at him and that was when she realized why his face looked familiar to her. She had seen him with Rumpelstiltskin and a large black hat. Pushing back her chair she stood up, but didn't turn her back to him. "I should go."

"With your wound still healing?" he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've dealt with worse then a leg injury."

Shaking his head, Ella knew that he wasn't just going to let her walk out of this house like Charming had done. "You'll bleed out without the proper care."

"I know who you are." Ella said, hoping her voice sounded braver than how she felt.

"And just who am I?" he asked walking towards her. "Tell me who you believe me to be Princess."

"Don't call me that," Ella told him, anger creeping into her voice. "My name is Ella."

"You didn't answer my question, _Ella_."

"You work for the Dark One. The Hatter."

"_No!" _

Ella was proud that although he had raised his voice, she didn't flinch or move from the spot where she was. It was easy to see the anger in his eyes when she had mentioned the Dark One. Was it possible that he was no longer working with the Dark One? Ella couldn't help, but wonder if the reason he helped her was for the money that was being offered by Queen Maleficent for her safe return. But if that was his purpose, then why would he let Charming walk out of this place with two very valuable objects?

"I left that life," he said motioning for Ella to take her seat again. "When Grace lost her mother because of my portal jumping."

"Grace?" Ella asked before she recalled the little girl that had been with him. "The little girl that was with you. She's your daughter?"

"Yes."

"So you aren't going to hand me over?" Ella questioned him.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to do so while you were resting?" he asked, a smile gracing his face.

"I suppose."

"We hadn't planned on taking the long way back here that day, but Grace wanted to so we did. You could have kept running when you saw us, but you stopped. Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Ella joined him back at the table. Running a hand through her blonde hair that was disgustingly dirty in her opinion, she looked back at him. "Those guards aren't like normal ones. They are motivated by greed. When I saw the two of you I knew that they would kill you both without a second thought. I have done many things in my life and not all of them I'm proud of, but if I had left you both there then I would have blood on my hands. I refuse to be like my mother or her friends."

"What do you mean?" he questioned her.

"They kill," Ella said remembering the last thing her mother did to set their family into shattered pieces. Closing her eyes as she felt the tears filling her eyes, she took a deep breath and then released it as she fought back the tears. She would not cry, she refused to show weakness when in front of this man. "They kill without reason, without mercy. It doesn't bother them when they destroy lives and families. For them, consequences don't matter. Death should not be dealt for the joy of killing as it brings to them."

He seemed to think about her words, but also the emotion in her voice as she spoke. It was like he knew what devastation dark magic could cause. He claimed that he was no longer the hatter but then who was this man that risked his life to save her in the forest where he could have just left her there.

"Why does Maleficent want you to return?" he asked her.

"She's my mother."

"Not an answer."

With a roll of her eyes, Ella looked at him and really looked. For the first time since she had parted with Snow White last month, she felt as if she could trust someone. She only hoped she was right.

"Last year, she tortured a very dear friend of mine. Her name was Katherine and she was only a year older than myself. She taught me how to ride a horse and how to find my way if the forest if I were ever to get lost."

Remembering her friend was hard for her. The pain of knowing that she couldn't save her friend ate at her every day. Ella knew that it wasn't fair that she was alive and Katherine was dead and there was no way to change that.

"We had planned to go riding on birthday," Ella said, her voice shaking as the tears fell from her eyes. Wiping the tears from her eyes so she could pretend that they hadn't been there, Ella looked at him and was surprised to see the hint of sadness in his eyes. "I went looking for her. She wasn't in the stables, nor was she in the pasture behind the castle, her room hadn't been slept in. That was when I went to see Maleficent. If anyone might have known anything it would have been her. I wasn't prepared to open the door and see Katherine laying on the floor. I rushed to her side. She was so cold and I thought that I could save her. But there was no saving someone from death. Because death is final."

"And so you ran away."

"Not right away," Ella admitted. "I was terrified of what she would do to me if she caught me. But the night terrors I would have made me realize that I was slowly dying on the inside and if I didn't leave it would consume me. So I told Maleficent I was going out for a ride and I would be back before dark. She allowed me to go alone, believing I would return. But I didn't and I won't."

"I'm sorry about your friend," he told her. "It sounds like you cared for her a lot."

"She was my only friend since I was a child," Ella admitted. "But now she's gone and every day I live with the fact that I was so excited to go riding on my birthday that I couldn't save her."

"We can't always save the ones we want to."

Looking down at her hands and then back to him. "What's your name?"

"Jefferson."

"You've been very kind to me Jefferson," Ella said. "But I shouldn't linger here too long. I would not wish any guards to find me hiding in your home."

"You won't leave yet."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to allow that wound to heal properly," Jefferson told her. "This is the first time in a week that you've woken up for this long."

"I've been asleep for a week?"

"According to your friend you used too much magic while injured and it drained you pretty bad."

"I just wanted to make sure those guards wouldn't be able to come back and come after you or your daughter."

"Thank you."

"But I think I should leave. If either queen finds out I'm here-"

"Haven't you heard?" Jefferson asked with a grin upon his face knowing she hadn't. "Oh of course not. You've been sleeping."

"What haven't I heard?"

"It was reported that you were last spotted upon a ship sailing away to an unknown destination."

"What?"

"You were seen boarding on your own free will Princess."

"You staged something." Ella accused.

"I might have had a hand," Jefferson smiled. "So relax. Grace will be home tomorrow and she would love to have tea with a real princess."

Looking at him in the eyes, Ella knew that there was no way she was leaving until she was able to run away from the guards of the queens and she was in no shape to do so at the moment. "I would hate to let Grace down."

* * *

Ella couldn't believe how fast time flew while she stayed with Grace and Jefferson. It was nice not having to sleep upon a forest floor or in a tree. When the three weeks had passed and she was able to run in the forest and hide just as she was used to before, something made her not want to leave. At least not yet. Standing outside watching as the sky darkened, Ella wished that she could spend more time here, but it just wasn't possible. She had stayed an extra month and she knew she needed to meet up with Snow White or she would come looking for her herself.

"You looked sad just now."

Snapping her head up, she turned and looked at the man that had grown to mean so much to her in a short span of time. Ella was pretty sure that Jefferson knew she had grown comfortable with him and Grace, but it meant nothing to him. That was another reason she had to leave soon. If she mentioned how she truly felt about him and he didn't say anything or worse he laughed at her, she couldn't bare to look at him every day.

"I was just thinking."

"A dangerous thing for you to be doing," Jefferson said as he offered her an apple. Normally Ella would take a bite when he offered something to her, but she couldn't do it today. Not with how her feelings were everywhere. "Ella? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Ella said as she continued to watch the sky. "Nothing important anyways."

"Ella."

"Jefferson." She said copying his tone of voice.

Ella knew that he wouldn't be happy until he got the real answer about what was going on with her. Dinner had been normal, so normal that Ella knew that she would miss it every day that she was gone. But it wasn't just the little things she was going to miss, it was Grace and Jefferson. It hurt her heart to know that she couldn't be sure that she would ever see either one of them again. When meeting with Snow and everyone else, things could take a different turn than what she believed when they started. That was what happened that led her to meeting Jefferson and Grace in the first place.

Feeling the tears coming, Ella blinked them back. She would not cry. Not when she needed to be strong. Strong for herself and strong enough to leave this place that was started to feel more like a home than the castle that she grew up in did.

"You were quiet at dinner."

"I was a little tired," Ella said as she felt Jefferson take her hand into his own and tugged her close to him. Feeling her heart beating faster at their close contact. "Jefferson…"

"You are planning on leaving," he said as if it was so obvious. "Aren't you?"

"I have to," Ella said as she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I don't really wish to leave this place, ever, but I am needed somewhere soon."

"Grace won't like that you plan to leave us."

"I don't like it." Ella told him honestly.

"When will you be back?" Jefferson inquired as he ran his hand up and down her back.

"I don't know," she said as she took a deep breath and released it. "It will depend on what happens at the meeting."

"Who are you meeting with?" he asked. "How do you know you can trust them?"

"Because they have known I am here and they have left me be for as long as they could. Snow will be anxious to know what is happening with me."

"And what is happening with you, Princess?"

Ella closed her eyes, only wanting a moment before she told him what was in her heart. Never in her life had she felt so strongly for another person and it scared her. Stepping back, she looked into Jefferson's blue eyes and gave him a smile.

"I never expected to find anything like this when I left the castle and Maleficent behind. And most of the time I don't understand how I could feel like this so quickly."

"What are you saying, Ella?"

Moving back closer to him, Ella lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him. At first she wasn't sure that she should have done something so bold with him. When Jefferson didn't respond to her kiss, she slowly backed away from him. Looking at him, Ella felt scared for the first time since she had woken up after using too much magic to make the guards leave.

"I-"

Before Ella had the chance to apologize, Jefferson had grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her closer and then kissed her. To say that she was surprised by the fact that he was kissing her would have been an understatement. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moved closer to him. The kiss seemed to go on, but when the need for air came to be too great, Jefferson moved back slightly so he could look down at her face. Seeing that she was just as affected as he was, brought a smile to his face. "Ella…"

"I love you."

It was easy to see the surprise upon his face, not that Ella could blame him. That was not how she wanted to tell him, but there it was. Biting her lip, she looked away from him as she moved out of his reach.

"Ella…"

"I always wondered what it was like," Ella said as she looked back at the home Jefferson had created for his young daughter who had the greatest gift in the world. Her father's love with no strings attached to it. "To have a home. And while I have been here with you and Grace that is what it has felt like to me, a real home. Not like what I had in the castle, but some place I could see myself living each and every day and never grow tired of it. But when you add Grace and you being here too, it made me feel like I mattered to someone and I didn't mean to fall in love with you, but I do love you."

"Then don't leave. Stay here with us. Become Grace's mother."

"What did you just say?"

"Become Grace's mother."

"I-"

"I love you too Ella," Jefferson told her. "Possibly from the time that you used your magic to protect me and Grace without even knowing who we were. So stay."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Ella heard the crunching of the fallen leaves as he walked closer to her. Feeling him wrap his arms around her, Ella opened her eyes and wrapped her own arms around him. "More than anything, I want to stay. But I can't."

"Yes you can."

"If I leave tonight," Ella said as she looked into his eyes. "Then I can come back sooner. I promise you Jefferson, I will come back to you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I've finally found home," Ella smiled at him. "My home is with you and Grace and it always will be."

"I'll wait for you Ella."

Together they walked back inside and packed Ella's bag with the minimum of food that she would need. She refused to take more. Taking the extra bags of gold out of her bag, she placed them on Jefferson's bed so that he could not refuse her on taking them. She wouldn't need the gold where she was going, but Jefferson and Grace could. Once she was done with the packing, she walked outside with Jefferson and was surprised to see her friend there holding the reigns of a beautiful grey stallion.

"What are you doing here?" Ella asked her with a smile as Jefferson walked out to join them. "I thought we were meeting next week."

"Plans have changed. We are needed now," Red said. "Snow sounded desperate."

Nodding her head, she handed her bag to Red to put it on the horse before turning back to Jefferson. "Tell Grace that I will be back and that I love her very much."

"She knows you do," Jefferson told her as he ran his knuckle down her soft cheek. "Be careful and come back to us, okay?"

Smiling at him, she nodded her head before leaning up and giving him a short and sweet kiss. "I will come back."

Stepping away from him and walking up to the horse, Ella was stopped when Jefferson grabbed onto her arm. "You lost you cloak, so I want you to wear this one."

Putting a newly made cloak around her shoulders and fastening it, Jefferson smiled at her and kissed the top of her head before assisting her onto the horse. "Good luck."

Seeing that Red had already changed into her wolf self, she nodded at her friend to lead the way. Making her way after her, Ella turned around after a second to see Jefferson watching her go. It was the hardest decision she had to make. She hated leaving him and Grace, but she would return to them. That much she knew was true because she found a real home with them.

* * *

_**A/N: There you have it! Let me know what you think of it!**_


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